Domestic scientists have extracted a superbacteria suppressant material from a microorganism commonly found in the soil.

The Science and Technology Ministry said Tuesday that a team led by Kim Won-gon at the state-run Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology (KRIBB) successfully extracted the material from the actinomycetes microbe.

The team said that the new material is effective against bacteria that have become resistant to ordinary drugs and has the potential to be developed to combat powerful bacteria that are immune to most antibiotics.